I'm not sure why you or IHHAAC members would have believed "assurances that local residents and other users of Oxon Hill Road not destined for the Tanger Outlets would not be inconvenienced other than heavy traffic." Rushern Baker and his minions have not been truthful about National Harbor area development, so I find it hard to place much trust in anything they say.

Although Baker claims to support "Transit Oriented Development," there is no adequate transit service to the outlets, and none in sight.

Seems to me that if Baker really meant what he says about "Transit Oriented Development,", he would have insisted on a specific transit plan, financed in large part by the developers who benefit, before proceeding to ram these kinds of development down our throats. Instead, he expects the people of the county to bear the huge costs of infrastructure improvement and major inconvenience, while the developers (and the public officials they fund) reap the financial benefits.

Let's face the facts: the people of the south county Oxon Hill Road and Indianhead Highway corridors are expendable and have been sold down the river by the politicians they foolishly elected.

Ever since then the traffic on Oxon Hill Road has been a nightmare come true. Despite assurances that local residents and other users of Oxon Hill Road not destined for the Tanger Outlets would not be inconvenienced other than heavy traffic, a bad situation has been made infinitely worse by poor traffic control and mismanagement.

During peak periods, the Police Department has closed Oxon Hill Road to all southbound traffic for one block between National Blvd and Harborview Avenue, forcing all traffic to turn right (west) on National Blvd toward the Potomac River and drive through National Harbor before being allowed to turn back east on Harborview Avenue in order to return to Oxon Hill Road and turn southward to our homes, thereby needlessly adding as much as 30-minutes travel time.

Over the last weekend, the number of complaints received by IHHAAC reached a crescendo. We also personally experienced being forced to make the loop through National Harbor and thereby being thrown needlessly into the crush of Tanger traffic. On two occasions westopped and politely told the officer directing traffic that we were local
residents trying to go home, we were not going to Tanger, therefore we should be allowed to go straight on Oxon Hill Road and through the light at Harborview Avenue, but to no avail. Other residents shared identical experiences with us. Suffice it to say, local residents are furious.

IHHAAC has filed complaints with the County Executive, Councilman Obie Patterson, the Chairman of The Peterson Companies, their attorney, the Manager of Tanger Outlets at National Harbor, the Police Department, the Department of Public Works and Transportation and many others.

The only response to date has been a telephone call from the Commander of Police District IV, who asked for first-hand details of our experiences, then assured us that

as residents we are supposed to be allowed to continue southbound on Oxon Hill Road without being forced to drive through National Harbor and get caught up in the Tanger traffic.

If so, clearly the officers on the street have NOT been so instructed, because other residents also reported trying to 'reason' with the officers directing traffic as to why they should be allowed to continue going south to get home, also to no avail.If this happens to you, do NOT take in lying down: yell and scream bloody murder to all of the aforementioned authorities.

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About

D. C. Russell is the pseudonym of a long time observer of politics in Prince George's County.

Senior citizen, 47+ year resident living less than a mile from the DC line. Libertarian, fiscally conservative, socially moderate, strong believer in the rule and consistent application of law, and increasingly distrustful of career politicians, big government and government secrecy. Appalled by the crime and status of education in Prince George's County and by the willingness of voters to retain in office the public officials responsible.

Note: Effective in late April 2012, D.C. Russell has gone into semi-retirement and has both cut back on blogging and turned routine moderation of the PG-Politics mailing lists over to volunteers. For more information, see Changes to PG-Politics Blog and Mailing List.